UNIT 18 GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
UNIT
18
UNIT GOALS
? Identify the functions of
gerunds and infinitives
in a sentence
? Use a variety of
gerund and infinitive
structures correctly
? Distinguish gerunds
from infinitives
? Use for with infinitives
and ¡¯s with gerunds
? Use gerunds as objects
of prepositions and
phrasal verbs
330
UNIT 18
GERUNDS AND
INFINITIVES
OPENING TASK
Skills and Qualifications
You and a partner have been asked to consider the strengths and
weaknesses of the following ten applicants described on the next
page for ¡°Altacreat,¡± an artistic community in the northwestern
United States designed to provide artistic space for ten artists in
residence for periods of up to three months. Specially designed
studios inspire ¡°cutting-edge¡± artistic creations and common
eating, and conversation spaces provide contexts for global
intellectual exchange after the day¡¯s work is done.
Altacreat has individual apartments and studios for each
artist, all room and board paid for by scholarships, a library, a
computer center, and communications facilities for all artists, the
capability to receive international newspapers, mail, and television
broadcasts, 24-hour computer access, and interactions with the
public through on-site visits by local schools and businesses.
STEP 1
In pairs, jot down ideas about why you think each person in the chart that follows might like to
be a candidate. Think about why he or she would want to be part of the center and what positive
skills or characteristics he or she could bring. The first one has been done as an example.
CANDIDATE
RATIONALE
Composer: Female, wife of architect, Korean, 25 years old
Specialization: classical piano
Playing the piano could entertain and inspire
the other artists to design better creations.
She might also want to co-design with her
husband (if he is also selected) modern piano
studios for home and commercial use.
Architect: Male, husband of piano composer, Japanese,
35 years old
Specialization: modern styles mixed with very traditional
Novelist: Female, Hungarian, 40 years old, married, expects to
have a baby in one month
Specialization: novels about gypsies in Europe
Opera Singer: Female, Russian, 32 years old, single
Specialization: dramatic, passionate roles in Italian operas
Screenplay Writer: Female, wife of filmmaker, 39 years old,
American (U.S.)
Specialization: detective mysteries
Filmmaker: Male, husband of screenplay writer, 60 years old,
Mexican
Specialization: love stories
Poet: Male, 28 years old, Vietnamese, widowed
Specialization: effects of technology on everyday life
Landscape Architect: Female, 23 years old, Brazilian, single
Specialization: sunken gardens
Artist: Female, 36 years old, Turkish, married
Specialization: geometric mosaics
Digital Artist: Female, 28 years old, Chinese, single
Specialization: collecting photos from Webcams and arranging
them in displays
STEP 2
Share the results of your brainstorming with your classmates.
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
331
form
FOCUS 1
Overview of Gerunds and Infinitives
EXAMPLES
(a) Speaking English is fun.
(b) To compose a sonata would take months.
(c) It would take months to compose a
sonata.
332
EXPLANATIONS
Infinitives (to + verb) or gerunds (verb + -ing)
can have various functions in a sentence:
Subject: Gerunds and infinitives can function
as subjects. However, it is more common for
infinitives that are subjects to move to the end
of the sentence with it as the new subject.
(d) His dream was to direct the ultimate
Mexican love story.
(e) Her hobby is weaving baskets.
Subject Complement: A subject complement
follows be and refers back to the subject of the
sentence.
(f ) I don¡¯t understand the need to take a
ten-minute break.
(g) The instruction to wear safety goggles
has saved many people¡¯s eyes.
Noun Complement: Noun complements explain
the nouns that they refer to. The infinitive can
be a complement to certain abstract nouns (for
example, advice, decision, desire, fact, opportunity,
order, plan, possibility, proposal, request, refusal,
requirement, suggestion, way, wish). (See Unit 21,
Focus 1, for a more extensive list of abstract
nouns.)
(h) I am sorry to inform you of the delay.
(i) They were pleased to meet you.
Adjective Complement: Certain adjectives can be
followed by infinitives. These include:
afraid
disappointed
pleased
amazed
eager
proud
anxious
eligible
ready
apt
(un)fit
reluctant
ashamed
fortunate
sad
bound
glad
shocked
careful
happy
sorry
certain
hesitant
sure
content
liable
surprised
delighted
likely
upset
determined
(j) Paco hopes to see the play.
(k) Carol remembered mailing the package.
Direct Object: A direct object follows a verb.
Depending upon the verb and accompanying
meaning, the object may be an infinitive or a
gerund.
(l) By studying hard, you can enter a
good school.
(m) Thank you for helping me.
(n) NOT: He lost the deal because of wait
too long.
Object of Preposition: Gerunds, not infinitives,
are objects of prepositions.
UNIT 18
EXERCISE 1
Read the following text and underline all gerunds and infinitives. Then identify the
function of each one (subject, subject complement, noun complement, adjective
complement, direct object, or object of preposition).
(1) Alan Loy McGinnis in his book Bringing Out the Best in People (Augsburg
Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1985) describes 12 important principles or rules for
helping people to perform to the best of their ability. (2) The first rule is to expect the
best from the people you lead. (3) A true leader needs to drop the role of ¡°watch-dog¡±
and to display a positive attitude toward everyone who works under him or her. (4) The
second principle is to make a thorough study of the other person¡¯s needs. (5) Walking a
mile in another person¡¯s shoes will allow a leader to truly understand someone he or
she is working with. (6) The third rule is to establish high standards of excellence.
(7) Many people have never learned the pleasure of setting high standards and living
up to them. (8) The fourth rule is to create an environment where failure is not fatal.
(9) People who expect to succeed all of the time often cannot rise from a failure.
(10) An effective motivator needs to know how to help people deal with their failure.
(11) ¡°Climbing on other people¡¯s bandwagons¡± is the fifth principle that McGinnis
suggests. (12) A good leader needs to identify the beliefs and causes of the people that
he or she works with. (13) By using these good ideas, he or she can encourage them
to pursue as many of these goals as possible. (14) Employing models to encourage
success is the sixth rule. (15) Everyone loves hearing about true success stories of
others to build confidence and motivation. Recognizing and applauding achievement is
the seventh rule. (16) A good leader tries to look for strengths in people and catch them
¡°doing something right¡± so that he or she can compliment them.
(17) The eighth rule is to employ a mixture of positive and negative reinforcement.
(18) Using praise is only one of many methods used to motivate. (19) Sometimes a
person does his or her best because he or she is afraid to be punished. (20) The ninth and
tenth rules relate to appealing sparingly to the competitive urge and placing a premium
on collaboration. (21) Some competition is good; however, the decision to work with
other people creates good morale and allows the job to be completed more efficiently.
(22) The eleventh principle is to learn how to deal with troublemakers in a group.
(23) A leader who does not learn how to handle a problematic person will never learn
how to stay in difficult situations and solve them. (24) Finally, the twelfth rule is to find
ways to keep the motivation of the leader, himself or herself, high. (25) Renewing oneself
through sports, reading, going to a restful spot, etc. are all necessary for the good leader
to become energized and to successfully perform the other eleven principles.
Which functions of gerunds and infinitives are most common in this selection? Is the
¡°to-verb¡± structure always a complement? What other meaning can it have? (Hint:
Review sentences 15 and 18.)
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
333
form
FOCUS 2
Infinitives and Gerunds in
Perfective, Progressive, and Passive
EXAMPLES
EXPLANATIONS
(a) Eva¡¯s plan has always been to return to
her homeland.
simple infinitive
(to + verb)
(b) She hoped to have earned an Olympic
gold medal by the time she was 20.
perfective infinitive
(to + have + past participle)
(c) Their goal is to be working by March.
progressive infinitive
(to + be + present participle)
(d) We wanted to have been swimming
by now.
perfective progressive infinitive
(to + have + been + present participle)
(e) The suggestion to be seen by a surgeon
was never followed.
passive infinitive
(to + be + past participle)
(f ) They were happy to have been chosen
for the award.
perfective passive infinitive
(to + have + been + past participle)
(g) Part of the problem is not knowing
enough.
simple gerund
(verb + -ing)
(h) She was excited about having watched
the race from start to finish.
perfective gerund
(having + past participle)
(i) Being appointed to the board of
directors is a great responsibility.
passive gerund
(being + past participle)
(j) Having been selected for the experiment
gave her career a boost.
perfective passive gerund
(having been + past participle)
EXERCISE 2
With a partner, discuss the following topics using infinitives and gerunds. Use the
appropriate simple, perfective, progressive, or passive form and give reasons for your
response for each item.
Example: a movie you enjoyed seeing
I enjoyed seeing ¡°Star Wars I¡± because I like science fiction.
1. a holiday food you like to eat
2. a present you would like to be surprised with
334
UNIT 18
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